The present invention relates to radiation detection and, more specifically, to radiation detection solutions which rely on indirect effects of radiation exposure to detect radiation events rather than the counting of electric charge produced by such events.
Conventional radiation detectors are characterized by several problems, some of which are related to the fact that the operation of such devices is typically based on counting the electric charges produced by incident radiation, either directly (by sensing the resulting currents), or indirectly (by converting the resulting electric energy into photons that are sensed separately). The need for counting efficiency typically translates into bulky detectors and/or long counting times. These issues conflict with the goals of miniaturization and high throughput. The need for cryogenic environments for some detectors further exacerbates the size and portability issue.
Conventional radiation detectors are also generally ineffective with the short range and/or low penetrating power of radiation emitted by some isotopes. Moreover, they have difficulty in discriminating between photons and neutrons, and distinguishing legitimate radioactive sources from illicit ones.
In view of these shortcomings and the increasing demand for more portable and effective radiation detectors, new radiation detection solutions are needed.